RENAULT 5

By Mark Bradbury 2024 review by Autolycus After his superb book on the Renault 4 in 2022, also reviewed...

Emeryson – The Life of Paul Emery, His Cars, Engines and Racing

By Graham Rabagliati with Duncan Rabagliati 2024 review by Peter McFadyen From the very first motor race I witnessed...

Aspects of Motoring History # 20

Published August 2024. 110 pages, 30 black & white illustrations and charts and 51 full-colour images, softbound. Articles: Oliver...

Aspects of Motoring History # 19

Published August 2023. 132 pages, 60 black & white illustrations and charts and 26 full-colour images, softbound. Articles: Paul...

Snapshot

The images appearing on SNAPSHOT are selected entirely at random and may cover any type of motor vehicle from any era of automotive history. It is hoped that the words that accompany the image will provide some enlightenment for the majority of viewers but polite comments about what is seen or written can be sent via the ‘Contact Us’ button. The image and its text will be changed each week and those previously shown will be rolled down.

SNAPSHOT 486: 1938 Autavia

Riley built two models with V8 engines. The 8/90 (named after 8 cylinders, 90 degrees) launched at the 1935 motor…

SNAPSHOT 485: 1954 Mercedes-Benz W196 “Monza”

The Mercedes-Benz W196 was a Formula One racing car campaigned by the company for the 1954 and 1955 seasons. It…

SNAPSHOT 484: 1926 Avions Voisin C11 14 CV

If any image from the 1920s could be said to feature something out of the ordinary, this would be a…

SNAPSHOT 483: 1965 De Tomaso Vallelunga

The De Tomaso Pantera and, to a lesser extent, the Mangusta, are relatively well-known sports cars – but the story…

SNAPSHOT 482: 1910 AC Sociable

The AC company is today known as one of the oldest independent motor car manufacturers – although it has had…

SNAPSHOT 481: 1938 Brough Superior

Brough Superior motorcycles, sidecars, and motor cars were made by George Brough in his Brough Superior works on Haydn Road…

SNAPSHOT 480: 1957 Scootacar Mk 1

The Hunslet Engine Company was founded in 1864 in Hunslet in south Leeds and manufactured steam locomotives for over 100…

SNAPSHOT 479: 1911/1916 K-R-I-T Curtiss Special

The paddock at the August VSCC Prescott hill climb is often blessed with the sight of a row of Edwardian…

SNAPSHOT 478: 1920 Chandler Six

The story of the Chandler Motor Company is one of remarkable success. In the 17 years of production from 1913…

SNAPSHOT 477: 1932 Essex Terraplane Windoverette

This rather complex name reveals something of the origins of the chassis and body of this handsome drophead. The Essex…

SNAPSHOT 476: 1957 DKW 3=6

It may seem remarkable to find an advertisement for this DKW saloon in an American sports car magazine, but the…

SNAPSHOT 475: 1905 Aurora

In the early years of the 20th century there was a fashion for simpler forms of transmission for motor cars…

SNAPSHOT 474: 1913-1914 Mass

Despite the rapid development of the motor car before and during World War I, a journey of just over 200…

SNAPSHOT 473: 1934 Hotchkiss Cabourg 413

The most striking characteristic of a prewar Hotchkiss is how ordinary it appears. Nothing could be further from the truth….

SNAPSHOT 472: 1955 Lancia-Ferrari D50

The Lancia D50 was designed in 1953/54 by Vittorio Jano for Scuderia Lancia to compete in the 1954 and 1955…

SNAPSHOT 471: 1897 Daimler

The history of Daimler in Britain effectively started with a visit by a young Englishman, Frederick Simms, to the Bremen…

SNAPSHOT 470: 1921 Renault 7.5-tonne FU lorry

Between 26 November and 17 December 1921 the French War Ministry conducted trials at Satory, southwest of Paris, to select…

SNAPSHOT 469: 1933 Aston Martin 1½-litre Le Mans

Even the finest of sports cars were pressed into military service during World War II. This 1933 Aston Martin long-wheelbase…

SNAPSHOT 468: 1952 Formula 3 car

The precarious location of this racing car is down to its honoured display at the National Museum of Scotland in…

SNAPSHOT 467: 1908 Winton Six-Teen-Six

The British journalist writing in Motor made much of the advantages in terms of smoothness of power delivery of the…

SNAPSHOT 466: 1920 Day-Leeds

At first glance this small car is just like so many others seen after World War I, often with many…

SNAPSHOT 465: 1937 Lincoln-Zephyr

The decade before World War II can rightly be described as a ‘Golden Age’ for motor car advertising. This week’s…

SNAPSHOT 464: 1947 Matchless G3L

There is a remarkable story attached to this beautiful Matchless. Max Smeed runs a motorcycle restoration business in Stockport. When…

SNAPSHOT 463: 1917 Pavesi e Tolotti Tipo B

This solid and seemingly unremarkable tractor was the creation of two brilliant and fascinating engineers. Ugo Pavesi was born in…

SNAPSHOT 462: 1930 Marquette Six

This is quite a rare car – but all things are relative. It is rare for a mass-produced car from…

SNAPSHOT 461: 1949 Ferrari 166 F2

Identifying racing cars, their drivers and the race in which they ran is fraught with pitfalls – not the least…

SNAPSHOT 460: 1907 West-Aster delivery van

The West-Aster company of Coventry was advertising two types of vehicle in 1907. The delivery van in this week’s Snapshot…

SNAPSHOT 459: 1929 Crossley six-wheeler

Much has been written about Crossley cars, but the company’s many commercial and military vehicles are perhaps less fully covered…

SNAPSHOT 458: 1933 B.S.A. f.w.d. 9 h.p.

The BSA (or, according to the company’s own advertisements in 1933, the B.S.A.) has appeared in Snapshots before, in numbers…

SNAPSHOT 457: 1945 Mathis VL 333 Prototype

The Mathis company can trace its origins to the car dealership set up by Émile Mathis (1880–1956) in his birthplace…

SNAPSHOT 456: 1910 Buick Racer

This is the Buick 60 Special, one of two built by Buick in 1910. It is one of the first…

SNAPSHOT 455: 1924 Seal Family Model

Our Snapshot this week shows Frazer Sloan competing in early December 2023 at the VSCC Driving Tests at Bicester Heritage…

SNAPSHOT 454: 1936 BMW 326

The BMW 328 is surely the most exciting and sought-after BMW of the pre-war era – but the more sober…

SNAPSHOT 453: 1954 Kaiser Darrin

Photographed at the 2023 Classic Motor Show at the NEC in Birmingham, this 1954 Kaiser Darrin is number 105 of…

SNAPSHOT 452: 1907 Apperson Jackrabbit

On 10 July 1909, the fastest pace ever shown in a road race won by an American car up to…

SNAPSHOT 451: 1930 Invicta NLC

The Invicta company was founded in 1925 by Noel Campbell Macklin. His original aim was to build a car with…

SNAPSHOT 450: 1931 Blue Bird

The story of the various iterations of Malcolm Campbell’s Bluebird land speed record cars has been told in part before…

SNAPSHOT 449: 2020 Indian Scout

  On 7 October 2023 a stop was made at a café, during the journey to the Peter Collins Museum…

SNAPSHOT 448: ca. 1904 Coulthard steam wagon

The steam wagon in this Snapshot is difficult to date but, despite being run by J.E. Gurney of Hitchin in…

SNAPSHOT 447: 1928 Crossley 15.7 h.p. Six

The post-WWI Crossleys were highly prized machines among drivers and motoring journalists. At the launch of this 15.7 h.p. Six…

SNAPSHOT 446: 1936 Zbrojovka Z 4

Nowadays, Zbrojovka Brno, s.r.o is a maker of small arms in Brno in the Czech Republic. In this respect it…

SNAPSHOT 445: 1953 Panhard Dyna Junior by Ghia-Aigle

The origins of the car in our Snapshot date to 1946 with a lightweight saloon designed by the engineer Jean…

SNAPSHOT 444: 1901 Rex

It is rare to find as clear an image of the underpinnings of an early motor car as we can…

SNAPSHOT 443: 1920 “Orwell” Tower Wagon

The “Orwell” name of this battery-powered tower wagon, designed for the maintenance of the overhead wires of electric tramways, may…

SNAPSHOT 442: 1933 Ford 14.9 HP Tudor saloon

The successful Model A Ford came to the end of its life at the end of 1931. Ford replaced it…

SNAPSHOT 441: 1950 Jowett Javelin Jupiter

The rather long name for this car was a clear reference to the successful saloon car first seen in public…

SNAPSHOT 440: 1904 Dufaux

This monstrous Dufaux with eight cylinders in line had a capacity of 12,760cc and a claimed output of 80bhp at…

SNAPSHOT 439: 1936 British Salmson S4C

The story behind the British Salmson marque dates to 1890, when Émile Salmson (1858-1917) set up a workshop in Paris…

SNAPSHOT 438: 1911 Isotta Fraschini Tipo PMC

Cesare Isotta and Vincenzo Fraschini of Milan started importing Mors and Renault cars and Aster engines into Italy in 1899,…

SNAPSHOT 437: 1932 Austin 7 Saloon

This delightful example of an Austin 7 saloon is proof that considerable driving pleasure is available for a moderate outlay….

SNAPSHOT 436: 1992 Lancia Delta Integrale HF

A delightful phrase appears on the first line of the Wikipedia entry for the Lancia Delta: “The Lancia Delta is…

SNAPSHOT 435: 1914 Steco cyclecar

The USA is perhaps rarely associated with cyclecar manufacture, but there were many built there in the heyday of such…

SNAPSHOT 434: 1921 Spyker 30-40 H.P.

This advertisement was one of several issued by Spyker in 1921 to celebrate a reliability trial. Very little detail is…

SNAPSHOT 433: 1933 Siddeley Special

The story of this elegant ‘gentleman’s carriage’ dates to the origins of the Armstrong Siddeley company in 1919. Its first…

SNAPSHOT 432: 1953 Kaiser Manhattan

Minor American makes such as Kaiser-Frazer, up against the might of General Motors, Ford and Chrysler, had to make a…

SNAPSHOT 431: 1913 Wilcox Trux 2-Ton

In the early 1900s many American mechanics were striving to create reliable motor cars. One such was Harry Eugene Wilcox,…

SNAPSHOT 430: 1922 S.A.T.M.E. electric car

An article in the French automobile magazine Omnia in October 1922 discussed the advantages and limitations of the electric car….

SNAPSHOT 429: 1935 British Adler

In 1930 only 1,880 cars were imported into Britain from the three main manufacturing companies in mainland Europe, namely Germany,…

SNAPSHOT 428: 1952 Packard Pan American

The 1952 New York International Motor Sports Show was the ideal venue for the launch of this concept car by…

SNAPSHOT 427: 1903 Haynes-Apperson

This group of (moderately) happy motorists were snapped in Central Park, New York. The left-hand drive suggests that this Haynes-Apperson…

SNAPSHOT 426: 1937 Alvis 4.3-litre

This Snapshot was taken at the 1937 London Motor Show, but by the Stuttgart-based German weekly motoring magazine Neue Kraftfahrer…

SNAPSHOT 425: 1919 Monarch tractors

We start this week’s Snapshot with a small recap: Snapshot 358 showed a tracked 1908 Hornsby 20HP Heavy Oil Tractor,…

SNAPSHOT 424: 1954 Abarth Alfa 2000

This one-off concept car was produced by Abarth in collaboration with Alfa Romeo and was designed by Giovanni Savonuzzi of…

SNAPSHOT 423: 1904 Bellamy Racer

The Automotor Journal for 26 March 1904 contained this photograph of the Bellamy racing car, with a caption, full of…

SNAPSHOT 422: 1920 National Sextet

The National Motor Vehicle Company was a manufacturer based in Indianapolis from 1900 to 1924. There is a strong connection…

SNAPSHOT 421: 1935 Aero Type 30

As their name indicates, the Aero company’s main business was the production and repair of aircraft from their factory in…

SNAPSHOT 420: 1945 Kendall-Grégoire

In December 1945 a picture appeared in The Sphere accompanied by a short caption announcing the imminent launch of a…

SNAPSHOT 419: 1907 Siddeley 18 h.p.

The Siddeley 18 h.p. has appeared on this website before, in Snapshot 14. The link between that Snapshot and this…

SNAPSHOT 418: 1920 Guy V8

Guy Motors were registered on Saturday 30 May 1914 by Sydney S. Guy (1885-1971), on the same day that he…

SNAPSHOT 417: 1934 Humber Pullman

The Humber Pullman four-door limousine was first introduced in 1930. It was the successor to the Humber 20/65 hp and…

SNAPSHOT 416: 1981 Corvette C3

In 1953, GM executives accepted a suggestion by Myron Scott, then the assistant director of the Public Relations department, to…

SNAPSHOT 415: 1910 Straker-Squire 15 h.p.

This car, “An elegant little 15-h.p. Straker-Squire Cabriolet-Coupe”, had just been delivered to Mr. Alfred Bennett of Old Broad Street….

SNAPSHOT 414: 1920 Calthorpe

The Calthorpe company made light cars that were far better than the norm. Their origins lay in the manufacture of…

SNAPSHOT 413: 1932 Lancia Dilambda

The 24th Monte Carlo Concours d’Élégance on 24 March 1932 produced two category winners – both Lancia Dilambda models and…

SNAPSHOT 412: 1958-1961 Alvis TD21

This would be a barn find if it were not for the knowledge that the owner stores his cars here….

SNAPSHOT 411: 1913 Fafnir 11-16 h.p.

There would be sparse information on the Fafnir car were it not for an article in a 1913 issue of…

SNAPSHOT 410: 1923 Vulcan 20 h.p.

The brothers Thomas and Joseph Hampson built an experimental car in Bolton in 1899. Three years later they set up…

SNAPSHOT 409: 1933 NAG-Voran Typ 220

This smart “Convertible Victoria” may seem to be a desirable small car – but the model was destined to be…

SNAPSHOT 408: 1947 Studebaker Commander

Introduced on 30 April 1946 at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel on Park Avenue in New York, the 1947 Studebaker was…

SNAPSHOT 407: 1910 Talbot 25 HP

Gustave Adolphe Clément (1855-1928) was an entrepreneur who in 1876 started building bicycles and went on to race and manufacture…

SNAPSHOT 406: 1923 Napier 40/50 hp

The Napier before World War I was very much an Edwardian motor car, with separate cylinders and the awkward look…

SNAPSHOT 405: 1933 Lancia Astura and Delage

The 25th Monaco Concours d’Élégance was held on 5 April 1933. The judges assembled outside the newly built Sporting d’Hiver…

SNAPSHOT 404: 1956 Renault “Étoile Filante”

On 22 June 1956 Renault presented their new turbine car, the Étoile Filante (Shooting Star) at the Montlhéry track. They…

SNAPSHOT 403: 1910 Bedford

This is not the Bedford of Vauxhall commercial vehicle fame – but, curiously, it is a motor car made by…

SNAPSHOT 402: 1920 Noma

The research for this week’s Snapshot produced a famous (or infamous) owner, and one of America’s finest motoring illustrators. Noma…

SNAPSHOT 401: 1935 Sunbeam Dawn

The Dawn was the last design of the old Wolverhampton-based Sunbeam concern. Subsequent cars were all Rootes designs. Sunbeam’s road…

SNAPSHOT 400: 1950 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 S Pininfarina 3+2

Alfa Romeo applied the 6C name to many of its touring, racing and sports cars between 1925 and 1954. The…

SNAPSHOT 399: 1901 James & Browne 9 HP Tonneau

The history of James & Browne started in 1896 with the formation of a partnership between John Melville James and…

SNAPSHOT 398: 1928 Coventry Eagle

This photograph from 1949 is not of the highest quality but is, we hope you will agree, worth showing for…

SNAPSHOT 397: 1932 Marmon Experimental V12

Yes, it really is a 1932 car – and those wings, reminiscent of a 1936 Cord, are not a later…

SNAPSHOT 396: 1956 Renault Frégate

The post-war Renault 4CV, Dauphine and R4 saw considerable success, as France returned to prosperity after the war and demand…

SNAPSHOT 395: 1903 Moyea

The Moyea car may only have been built between 1903 and 1904 but the history of Moyea and its successors…

SNAPSHOT 394: 1993 Lancia Dedra 2.0IE

Recent years have seen the decline of Lancia as a European brand – but this was not always so. This…

SNAPSHOT 393: 1921 Crossley 19.6 landaulets

We do not know the exact specification of the Crossleys in this Snapshot –but since they were being used for…

SNAPSHOT 392: 1961 Dodge Lancer

The Dodge Lancer name was used by the Chrysler Corporation three times: during the 1950s, 1960s and 1980s. The first…

SNAPSHOT 391: 1935 Hillman Aero Minx

The Hillman Minx was introduced in 1932 as the first small Hillman since the early 1920s. The car was announced…

SNAPSHOT 390: 1905 Speedwell 10 h.p.

Way back in Snapshot 74 appeared the 1903 Chainless car built in Paris. Its main interest lay in the source…

SNAPSHOT 389: 1997 TVR Griffith 500

The TVR Griffith was produced from 1990 to 2002. There were several versions, starting in 1990 with the 4-litre powered…

SNAPSHOT 388: 1920 Alvis 10/30

The Alvis 12/50 is rightly considered to be one of the great vintage cars – but less is discussed about…

SNAPSHOT 387: 1938/1935 Triumph Vitesse

This is a unique car. Very few Triumphs were bodied with the streamlined ‘Flow-Free’ coachwork introduced in 1935, apparently because…

SNAPSHOT 386: 1905 Columbia

There were four Columbia car manufacturers, all of them in the United States, but this one, built in Hartford, Connecticut,…

SNAPSHOT 385: 1939 HRG 1100

HRG Engineering Company was founded in 1936 in Tolworth, Surrey by Major Edward Halford, Guy Robins (formerly of Trojan) and…

SNAPSHOT 384: 1920 Storey 14.3HP London Coupé

An advertisement for a modest car can always be enhanced by the addition of stylish people such as the elegant…

SNAPSHOT 383: 1953 Fiat 1900 Landaulet by Savio

This remarkable landaulet coachwork on the Fiat 1900 was a trademark design of Carrozzeria Savio. The Savio landaulet was first…

SNAPSHOT 382: Daimler House, 1911

Reading the history of the British Daimler Company, the very last thing that would be expected would be the construction…

SNAPSHOT 381: 2019 Triumph Rocket 3 R

Once in a while a motor vehicle appears that is so outrageous that it makes history. This is one of…

SNAPSHOT 380: 1908 Cadillac

It is difficult to date this Cadillac, captured helping to shear sheep in New Zealand. The image is from 1908,…

SNAPSHOT 379: 1933 Pontiac Straight 8

The Pontiac Straight 8 was a car for its time. Still reeling from the depression that followed the 1929 Wall…

SNAPSHOT 378: 1888 Immisch Electric Carriage

As electric traction takes over modern motoring it is sobering to think that this form of propulsion for road vehicles…

SNAPSHOT 377: 1929 Lancia Lambda

The origins of the Lancia Lambda, widely considered as Vincenzo Lancia’s greatest masterpiece, date back to December 1918, when a…

SNAPSHOT 376: 1905 Lambert

These two men have just made the journey from Chicago to St. Paul on a ‘Tour’ in 1905. Their car,…

SNAPSHOT 375: 1948-58 Massey-Harris 744D

This well-used tractor plays an important part in the history of one of the world’s biggest tractor manufacturers: Massey Ferguson….

SNAPSHOT 374: 1920 Angus-Sanderson

The Angus family had been coachbuilders in Newcastle upon Tyne since the late 18th Century. Sanderson was apprenticed to the…

SNAPSHOT 373: 1904 Gobron-Brillié

On 21 July 1904, on the beach at the Ostende Automobile Week, the French driver Louis Rigolly set a world…

SNAPSHOT 372: Simca 5

This Simca 5 is of uncertain age – because these tiny cars were built between 1936 and 1949, right through…

SNAPSHOT 371: 1928 Brough Superior MAG-engined Straight-Four

The Brough Superior is rightly famous for its superb V-twin motorcycles – but far less well known were its four…

SNAPSHOT 370: 1932 Packard 903 De Luxe Phaeton

Snapshot 359, the Pierce Silver Arrow, was from a series in a 1930s British magazine of stars with their cars….

SNAPSHOT 369: 1914 Swift 15 h.p.

Why would someone be doing this to a Swift chassis? Clearly the passenger is having fun – but that, of…

SNAPSHOT 368: 1950 Ford Thames ET with JEKTA body

County Commercial Cars Limited of Fleet in Hampshire were known for their conversion of Ford lorries. They were also the…

SNAPSHOT 367: 1906 Oldsmobile ‘A’ 35-40 H.P.

On 23 December 1906 R.R. Owen and a party of three left New York on a ‘pathfinding’ trip to Ormond-Daytona…

SNAPSHOT 366: 1960 Renault Dauphine Gordini

The Renault Dauphine has always been an attractive small family car, but the Gordini version is far cooler. The Dauphine…

SNAPSHOT 365: 1936 Wanderer W25K Cabriolet

In October 1936 a new car came to Britain and was displayed at that year’s Olympia Show on the Auto…

SNAPSHOT 364: 1927 A.J.S. 350cc – and Mobiloil

The Motor Cyclist Review seems to be a rare magazine. It proudly announced itself on its editorial page as “The…

SNAPSHOT 363: 1903 Schiemann Trolley Train

In the Biela valley near Dresden a successful trial was underway in 1903 with the Schiemann system. It was claimed…

SNAPSHOT 362: 1964 Lancia Flaminia Coupé

At the Turin Motor Show in 1955, Pininfarina presented the Lancia Florida, a concept for an elegant and luxurious saloon….

SNAPSHOT 361: 1935 Auburn 851

This Snapshot was kindly sent to us by SAHB member Bob Cartwright. We have no proof, but we think that…

SNAPSHOT 360: 1911 Bugatti Type 13

The Grand Prix de France was held on 23 July 1911 at the Circuit de la Sarthe near Le Mans….

SNAPSHOT 359: 1933 Pierce Silver Arrow

1933 was a turning point for the American car industry. The Wall Street Crash of 1929 had left the world’s…

SNAPSHOT 358: 1908 Hornsby 20HP Heavy Oil Tractor

Richard Hornsby & Sons manufactured engines and machinery in Grantham, Lincolnshire from 1828 until 1918. The company grew into a…

SNAPSHOT 357: 1936 Toyoda AB Tourer

According to The Autocar for 6 November 1936 this was the first car produced by the Toyoda company. Later research…

SNAPSHOT 356: 1920 AEC Omnibus

In February 1920 at least two important commercial trade journals announced the introduction of a new omnibus for the Liverpool…

SNAPSHOT 355: 1960 Humber Super Snipe Series II

Why did Humber choose the name Snipe (and then Super Snipe) for its luxury cars? The reason has eluded us;…

SNAPSHOT 354: 1903 Military Manoeuvres at Marlborough

Our Snapshot shows the inspection by Lord Roberts of the Motor Volunteer Corps during the annual autumn manoeuvres on the…

SNAPSHOT 353: 1989 Mercedes-Benz Unimog 427

This machine, seen in Cheshire on the site of a logging business, may well not be in working order –…

SNAPSHOT 352: 1923 Benjamin

This colourised photograph was taken on 17 February 1923 at Sens, 125km southeast of Paris, during the 1923 Paris-Nice race…

SNAPSHOT 351: 2020 Honda Africa Twin

This is how an Africa Twin should be used. Its English owner has just ridden back home for Christmas. Total…

SNAPSHOT 350: 1948 Standard Vanguard

This Snapshot of the new Standard Vanguard was at its first motor show – but it was not in Britain….

SNAPSHOT 349: 1956 Maserati AG6/54 GT Zagato

Maserati introduced their A6GCS in 1953 as a two-litre, twin-cam, open sports-racing car. The car in our Snapshot was the…

SNAPSHOT 348: 1910 Mors 10 HP

Motoring journals from the early days of motoring do not always tell us the name of the driver of a…

SNAPSHOT 347: 2021 Praga R1

Surely some mistake? Praga were a Czech car and truck manufacturer before World War II. They don’t make racing cars…

SNAPSHOT 346: 1920 Moon Superb Six

This English photograph of an American Moon shows that there was some effort to export to the UK, the sole…

SNAPSHOT 345: 1957-62 Mercedes-Benz 300D Adenauer

In 1951 Mercedes-Benz introduced their W186 Model 300. This four-door luxury saloon, the company’s flagship model, was built in three…

SNAPSHOT 344: 1924-7 Elizalde 20/30 HP

The Barcelona-based Elizalde company produced their 8-cylinder 20/30 HP car between 1924 and 1927. The features most remarked upon in…

SNAPSHOT 343: 1945 Riley 1½ Litre

The post-war Riley feels as if it has deserved a Snapshot for many years – but it also deserved a…

SNAPSHOT 342: 1910 Jackson

This vehicle is curious enough to have attracted some attention in British and German periodicals in 1910. It was a…

SNAPSHOT 341: 1954 Fiat 1100 Familiare

The Fiat 1100 (Model 103) was a small family car produced from 1953 to 1969 as the all-new monocoque replacement…

SNAPSHOT 340: 1910 Moto-Rêve – and a pioneer woman motorcyclist

A search for the first pioneer women motorcyclists yields very little before 1916, when Adeline (1884–1959) and Augusta Van Buren…

SNAPSHOT 339: 1937 Flying Standard V-Eight

The British-built Ford V8 seen in our recent Snapshot 335 will be familiar to many. This car, however, may not…

SNAPSHOT 338: 1952 Citroën Big Six

The Citroën Traction Avant was made in many forms from 1934 to 1957. It was a popular car: around 760,000…

SNAPSHOT 337: 1920 Butterosi

The Butterosi car was extensively publicised in Britain in the early 1920s. The advertising artwork in our Snapshot was created…

SNAPSHOT 336: 1901 Stirling-Panhard

The story behind this early motor car comes from a flyer, found tucked into a 13 July 1901 issue of…

SNAPSHOT 335: 1937 Ford V8

The M.C.C. Sporting Trial of 1937 took in this fiendishly challenging hill in the Derbyshire High Peak known as Jenkins…

SNAPSHOT 334: 1907 Itala 80 HP

Of all the many touring and racing Itala cars produced by this distinguished Italian maker, this enormous 80 HP limousine…

SNAPSHOT 333: 1937 Hudson Terraplane De Luxe Saloon

Yes, it is a saloon and not a sedan – and it is right-hand drive (although that might have been…

SNAPSHOT 332: 1953 Arnolt-MG

The stylish body of the Arnolt-MG hides a rather less exotic chassis – that of an MG TD. The result…

SNAPSHOT 331: 1900 Mack bus

Nowadays Mack is famous for its trucks – but for 60 years from 1900 the company were proud to produce…

SNAPSHOT 330: 1958 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia

The Volkswagen Karmann Ghia sports car, the Type 14, was marketed from 1955 to 1974 as a 2+2 coupé and…

SNAPSHOT 329: 1920 Velie Six

This very English illustration is of a very American motor car. It was used by the distributors, H.C. Motor Company…

SNAPSHOT 328: 1955 Iso Isetta Autocarro and car

If adding a flat bed to a bubble car was not bizarre enough, this eight-wheeled combination of truck and car…

SNAPSHOT 327: 1908 N.E.C.

The N.E.C. was remarkable above all for its unusual layout. Its two-stroke engine with horizontally opposed cylinders was neatly mounted…

SNAPSHOT 326: 1965 Volvo 120 Amazon

The Volvo 120 Amazon may appear to represent the epitome of the conventional mid-sized family car – but this example…

SNAPSHOT 325: 1906 Pullcar

In these days of monocoque car bodies and totally integrated styling from front to rear (and inside), we tend to…

SNAPSHOT 324: 1967 Autobianchi Bianchina Panoramica

This delightful little car can trace its origins back to the Bianchi company founded by Edoardo Bianchi in 1885 to…

SNAPSHOT 323: 1936 Vauxhall Light Six

Golfers, dressed in the latest fashions. The gravelled drive and beautifully tended borders of what must be a substantial house….

SNAPSHOT 322: 1906 Clément-Bayard 100HP

This photograph was taken at the 1906 French Grand Prix, run on a 64-mile-long triangular course of closed public roads…

SNAPSHOT 321: 1950 Italmeccanica IT160

In the December 1952 issue of Speed Age this car was described as the “World’s Most Exclusive Automobile.” The builders,…

SNAPSHOT 320: 1921 Taunton 11.9hp

In 1912 John Bernard Taunton designed his first vehicle – a cyclecar with an 8hp 4-cylinder monobloc engine. Very soon…

SNAPSHOT 319: The 1907 Lion-Peugeot Coupe des Voiturettes team

From 1905 to 1913 the French motoring magazine L’Auto organised a competition for Voiturettes called La Coupe de l’Auto or…

SNAPSHOT 318: 1938 Chrysler Kew

Chrysler set up a factory off Mortlake Road, Kew in the early 1920s to beat British import restrictions. The factory…

SNAPSHOT 317: 1907 16 h.p. Albion

The understandable and important focus upon reducing emissions from road transport is far from new. On 7 March 1907 the…

SNAPSHOT 316: 1929 Mercedes-Benz Nürburg

The 18/80 hp Mercedes-Benz Nürburg 460 (W08 series) was the first production 8-cylinder car from Daimler. Launched at the Paris…

SNAPSHOT 315: 1954 Lagonda V12

The man sitting in the cockpit of the car in our Snapshot is David Brown. It was his ambition that…

SNAPSHOT 314: 1934 Riley Lynx

This lovely Riley Lynx is raring to go as soon as the Spring weather allows. It is an example of…

SNAPSHOT 313: Transport in 1999

Over the years many designers and engineers have tried to look into the future; to predict the sort of cars…

SNAPSHOT 312: 1972 Rover 3.5-litre P5B

Some cars feel entirely at home in certain surroundings – and so it is with this Rover P5B on the…

SNAPSHOT 311: 1921 Enfield-Allday

Rarely do middle-market motor manufacturers gain the opportunity to advertise their wares in such sumptuous colour – but this was…

SNAPSHOT 310: 1955 Chevrolet Biscayne Concept Car

The 1955 Chevrolet Biscayne began life as a showcase for the new Chevrolet 265 cubic-inch V-8 engine. It was shown…

SNAPSHOT 309: 1942 Chausson CHS Prototype

This Snapshot unveils three stories – of a company, a car and a man. In 1907, two brothers – Gaston…

SNAPSHOT 308: 1904 Milnes-Daimler Omnibus

The British company Milnes of Birkenhead was founded by George Frederick Milnes around 1888, initially to manufacture tramcars. In 1901…

SNAPSHOT 307: 1921 Tamplin

The cyclecar boom started around 1912; nearly 40 different makes were exhibited at the Motor Cycle Show of that year….

SNAPSHOT 306: 1956 Fiat 600 Trasformabile

It is fair to say that the sunroof is especially useful in Italy. Not only is there plenty of sun,…

SNAPSHOT 305: Thunderbolt

Thunderbolt was the largest, fastest and most powerful Bean car ever built. This deserves an explanation. Capt George Edward Thomas…

SNAPSHOT 304: Argyll cars in 1906

Argyll cars have featured more than once in this website but this picture of twelve new ones together, being washed…

SNAPSHOT 303: 1921 Temperino Light Car

Maurizio Temperino was born in Limone Piemonte in 1888 and when very young was taken to America by his father,…

SNAPSHOT 302: 1949 Daimler DE 36 Limousine

The Motor, in December 1947, made no bones about it: The post-war Straight Eight Daimler is an entirely new design…

SNAPSHOT 301: 1923 D.F.P. 13/50 – or is it?

This enchanting image of a French D.F.P. has all the right credentials for a Snapshot: a quietly elegant motor car,…

SNAPSHOT 300: Two Aston Martins

In the early years of the Le Mans 24 Hours race, the regulations required all cars over 1100cc to have…

SNAPSHOT 299: 1926 Sizaire-Frères 4RI 11CV

This Snapshot continues the story in Snapshot 188 of the different incarnations of the Sizaire name. The history of the…

SNAPSHOT 298: 1931 Karrier Ro-Railer

Many companies have tried over the years to create vehicles, trailers or wagons that can travel on road and rail…

SNAPSHOT 297: 1951 MG YA

The words written in pencil on the back of this Snapshot give no more than a few facts about this…

SNAPSHOT 296: 1923 Aster 18/50 Saloon

The origins of the British Aster car lay in France with Ateliers de Construction Mécanique L’ Aster, established in 1878…

SNAPSHOT 295: 1946 Fulton Airphibian

In November 1946 at an airfield in Danbury, Connecticut, Robert Edison Fulton Jr., president of Continental Inc., made the first…

SNAPSHOT 294: 1904 Mildé electric postal delivery van

Charles Mildé was born in Paris in 1851 and died there in 1931.  In 1873 he founded Mildé et Fils. …

SNAPSHOT 293: Fittipaldi’s first GP victory – 1970

4th October 1970 and Watkins Glen in the Finger Lakes region of ‘upstate’ New York was the venue for the…

SNAPSHOT 292: 1948 Gatso Aero Coupé

Maurice “Maus” Gatsonides was a Dutch rally driver and inventor.  He was born in 1911 in Central Java in the…

SNAPSHOT 291: ca. 1934 Ariel Square Four

The Ariel Square Four stands alongside the Brough Superior and Vincent HRD as one of the most distinguished large British…

SNAPSHOT 290: 1909 Kearns Storm Queen

This Kearns model started life as a Eureka – a motor car name that was so popular that this example…

SNAPSHOT 289: 1957 Jaguar XK150S Bertone

With its very Italian styling, this beautiful and rare car may not be instantly recognised as an example of that…

SNAPSHOT 288: 1913 Grand Prix Sunbeam

The date is 12 July 1913; the location just outside Amiens in Picardy.  The car is Kenelm Lee Guinness’s Sunbeam. …

SNAPSHOT 287: 1960 Ambassador V-8 by Rambler

This curious inversion of marque and model was a deliberate attempt to bring cachet to the top-of-the-range car from American…

SNAPSHOT 286: 1907 Passe-Partout

The 1907 advertisement for Passe-Partout contained this image of stylish ladies with their car.  They were quoted as saying: ‘For…

SNAPSHOT 285: 1938 Sunbeam-Talbot Ten

The Sunbeam-Talbot Ten was billed as a compact executive car or small sports saloon.  It was built by the Rootes…

SNAPSHOT 284: 1920 Albert 11.9 h.p.

The Albert was a high-quality and relatively expensive light car built by Adam, Grimaldi & Company, makers of aircraft parts. …

SNAPSHOT 283: 1909 20 h.p. Standard Landaulette

Fourteen companies decided to name their cars Standard; this example is from the best-known of them.  The Standard Motor Co….

SNAPSHOT 282: 1915 Four Wheel Drive Truck

The Four Wheel Drive Auto Company (FWD), developed and produced all-wheel drive vehicles.  Otto Zachow and William Besserdich founded the…

SNAPSHOT 281: 1938 ZIS-101 limousine

This picture of ZIS-101 cars on the Moscow production line of Завод Имени Сталина (Zavod Imjeni Stalina – Plant named…

SNAPSHOT 280: 1904 City and Suburban electric carriage

The article on electric cars in the 1904 book The Complete Motorist by A. B. Filson Young first stated that…

SNAPSHOT 279: 1949 Vincent HRD Black Shadow

This advertisement was found in a 1950 Argentinian sporting weekly.  It celebrates the success on Vincent HRD motorcycles of two…

SNAPSHOT 278: 1934 Studebaker Director saloon

This fine motor car is in Britain, far from its country of manufacture – but that was not the USA,…

SNAPSHOT 277: 1929 Morris Oxford 15 Six

We chose this week’s Snapshot for the remarkable imagery of the advertisement, rather different from the more conventional publicity illustrations…

SNAPSHOT 276: ca. 1906-08 Pipe

This distinguished Belgian make first appeared on our website five years ago in Snapshot 12, written by Malcolm Jeal and…

SNAPSHOT 275: 1921 Cubitt 16-20 h.p.

This picture was taken at a hillclimb during 1921 – perhaps a reader can identify the venue.  The car was…

SNAPSHOT 274: 1958 Chevrolet XP-700

This experimental car was designed and built under the personal supervision of Bill Mitchell, Vice-President-in-Charge of General Motors Styling, to…

SNAPSHOT 273: 1894 Lepape

The Lepape, described in a 1934 magazine as “one of the first front-wheel-drive cars”, dates from the end of 1894….

SNAPSHOT 272: 1928 Excelsior

This picture appeared in the British society press in May 1928 because Excelsior, long respected for the quality of their…

SNAPSHOT 271: 1905 Beaufort 16-20 h.p.

This most English of names disguised the true German origins of the Beaufort, a make that lasted only five years…

SNAPSHOT 270: 1923 Renault 13.9 HP Type MH six-wheeler

The challenge to be met by France in the early 1920s was to link up two important elements of its…

SNAPSHOT 269: 1908-1910 Coates-Goshen

While we normally try to identify make AND model in Snapshots, this one has evaded our research.  Our excuse is…

SNAPSHOT 268: 1916 SPA 25-30 HP

Early Italian motor car manufacturers seemed to delight in using initials to abbreviate their full names – and SPA was…

SNAPSHOT 267: 1905 12/16 h.p. Wilson-Pilcher

This motor car looks conventional. It is not. In 1904, so advanced in design was the Wilson-Pilcher that an article…

SNAPSHOT 266: 1960 Lancia Loraymo

The scene is the car park at Le Mans, probably in 1962. The cars vary from modest to middle-class. Except…

SNAPSHOT 265: 1937 Salmson S4 DA cabriolet roadster

The Salmson company’s distinguished and varied history started in 1890 when Émile Salmson created a workshop in Paris to make…

SNAPSHOT 264: 1905 Christie

There are brave and eccentric designers of racing cars, others who create unique solutions for road cars, and some whose…

SNAPSHOT 263: 1909 Métallurgique 26 h.p.

This fine Belgian car was captioned as ‘A Luxurious Landaulet’. It had just been supplied to a customer in Scotland….

SNAPSHOT 262: 2CV Cross

There can be few if any more unlikely prospects for a racing car than the ubiquitous Citroën 2CV or  Deux…

SNAPSHOT 261: 1920 Varley-Woods 12/22 h.p.

This is, in the words of Nick Georgano, an undistinguished car.  But the history of its creators is far more…

SNAPSHOT 260: BMW 2002

Spotted a few days ago outside a sports car repair shop in south Manchester, this lovely ‘straight but a bit…

SNAPSHOT 259: Triumph TR2

In 1953, Motor Sport magazine reported that, as their June issue closed for press “we learn that the new sports…

SNAPSHOT 258: C. J. Frost of Mulbarton – a country garage

James Loveridge has sent us this fascinating picture from a promotional postcard printed by the garage of C. J. Frost…

SNAPSHOT 257: 1938 Buick Roadmaster Series 81

Sized at only 80 x 55mm – was that known as the ‘En-print? – this image truly is a ‘snapshot’….

SNAPSHOT 256: 1916 P&M

This fine image appeared in the 1916 edition of Penrose’s Annual, the review of printing and graphic arts, as an…

SNAPSHOT 255: 1904 12hp British Duryea

As an adjective, ‘bizarre’ seems quite inadequate to describe this vehicle, obviously photographed at a sea-side veteran car rally. Its…

SNAPSHOT 254: 1935 Leyland Titan TD4c Gearless

Except for one thing, this 1935 Leyland Titan would be a reasonably ordinary double-decker bus, snapped by an enthusiast during…

SNAPSHOT 253: 1902 Véhel controls

Photographs of cars taken in the very early days most commonly are ‘set-piece’ images from professional photographers that show the…

SNAPSHOT 252: 1936-1938 Wolseley Series II 12/48

This small car is rarer than we might think.  The Wolseley Series II range was launched at the 1935 Motor…

SNAPSHOT 251: 1906 Bradbury 4½-hp Tri-car

Bradbury motorcycles were manufactured in the firm’s Wellington Works, Oldham, between 1902 and 1925. They were both costly and noted…

SNAPSHOT 250: 1915 Harley-Davidson Model 11J

The Harley-Davidson is so well known today that perhaps we forget its early history – and its story in Britain….

SNAPSHOT 249: 1914 sleeve-valve BSA

Here’s a posed photograph that illustrates to perfection a common aspect of motoring in the immediate Pre-Great War era. The…

SNAPSHOT 248: 1931 Tilling-Stevens Savage Searchlight

This mobile searchlight was presented in the Illustrated London News under the headline “Sky-Grids to Locate Air raiders: Britain’s Most…

SNAPSHOT 247: 1895 Lutzmann and 1905 Orleans

By way of a Christmas bonus, our Snapshot this week features two cars. Both were in the ownership of a…

SNAPSHOT 246: 1948 Swallow Gadabout Scooter

This 1948 advertisement may be colourful and confident – but the scooter it promotes was only produced from November 1946…

SNAPSHOT 245: 1923 Milburn Electric Model 27L

The talk these days is of electric cars – but they are by no means new.  The Museum of Science…

SNAPSHOT 244: The De Dion of Old Sodbury

Your contributor happily admits to having been a teenage veteran car enthusiast. Over 60 years ago, a school chum of…

SNAPSHOT 243: Illustrations from the 1903 National Show

The National Motor-Car and Cycle Show opened on November 20, 1903 at The Crystal Palace outside London. This miscellany was…

SNAPSHOT 242: Lancia Lambda at Rey Cross on Stainmore

A picture-postcard view of a bleak moorland setting, this being the A66 Penrith to Scotch Corner road; more precisely between…

SNAPSHOT 241: 1906 24 h.p. Napier – with Vieo wheel

This snapshot of a smiling group of elegant people aboard a smart Napier car is remarkable for neither the people…

SNAPSHOT 240: The James Gardiner Vauxhall OE 30-98

Taken at an event seemingly focused on earlier motoring, the venue can be stated with greater confidence – the sign…

SNAPSHOT 239: 1947 Davis

The world of motor manufacture is full of ambitious projects doomed to failure – and some were downright confidence tricks. …

SNAPSHOT 238: 1930 Star ‘Flyer’ VB3 Motor Coach

In the absence of two significant clues, it would be a knowledgeable motor historian indeed who was able to identify…

SNAPSHOT 237: 1946 Invicta Black Prince

This is one of only 12 surviving examples of 16 built during the post-war renaissance of this famous pre-war marque….

SNAPSHOT 236: 1933 Riley Gamecock

A snapshot from the 1950s – the father of a good friend of your contributor at the wheel of his…

SNAPSHOT 235: 1905 Wolseley Vacuum Cleaner Van

If you wished to keep your house or office clean in the early 20th century you would be unable to…

SNAPSHOT 234: 1962 Volvo 122S

Your contributor is very much a ‘vintage’ car enthusiast, but of the post-war cars that he has owned, this Volvo…

SNAPSHOT 233: FIAT in the 1914 Austrian Alpine Trial

If anyone had any doubts as to the toughness of the Austrian Alpine Trials, perhaps this Snapshot will correct any…

SNAPSHOT 232: Alvis 12/50

There’s just so much to enjoy in this snapshot. Firstly, it speaks of the freedom of the roads enjoyed in…

SNAPSHOT 231: 1968 Triumph Vitesse

Vitesse is an apt name for this car. It was based on the well-known and much-loved Triumph Herald introduced in…

SNAPSHOT 230: 1911 20hp Rothwell

A summery scene; and a look back to a time when motoring was commonly rather more of a recreation than…

SNAPSHOT 229: 1990 Toyota Sera

The Toyota Sera is a rare sight in Britain.  Made only for the Japanese market, the Sera (model designation EXY10)…

SNAPSHOT 228: 1901 Austro-Daimler

On 28th June 1914, in the city of Sarajevo, Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, were…

SNAPSHOT 227: Longridge Circuit 1973

29th April 1973 saw the first motor race meeting at a remarkable, some say unique, circuit in Lancashire. Unique because…

SNAPSHOT 226: 1973 Ford Cortina Mark III GXL

Long before the term ‘Mondeo Man’ passed into common English parlance, Ford of Britain was making a car that was…

SNAPSHOT 225: 1906 Thornycroft

This is indeed a sad snapshot; a discovery in the photograph album of a well-to-do family whose home was in…

SNAPSHOT 224: 1951 Callista

This pretty but slightly awkward little roadster sitting beside the Seine in Paris hides a more distinguished story.  It is…

SNAPSHOT 223: 1907 FN Lightweight Motorcycle

Among the many single-cylinder motorcycles from the period before World War One, FN machines were of a particularly high standard,…

SNAPSHOT 222: 1931 Rover Scarab

The stylish brochure gives a hint of adventure: the exotic and inscrutable sphinx; the game little car ploughing its way…

SNAPSHOT 221: 1968 Howmet TX Gas Turbine

During the late 1960s there were several attempts to use gas turbines in motor racing, notably at Indianapolis where sustained…

SNAPSHOT 220: A pair of 1927 Armstrong Siddeleys

This beautifully executed colour illustration comes from a perfect example of a company trying to attract a discerning and well-heeled…

SNAPSHOT 219: The 1964 Manchester to Blackpool Run

This is a snapshot that is truly just that.  In fact it is one of three taken within seconds of…

SNAPSHOT 218: 1952 Talbot-Lago Baby

It is a little difficult to identify from the front the model of Talbot-Lago for this date, but in this…

SNAPSHOT 217: 1914 Darracq V14 16 hp

This is the second of two snapshots (the other being Snapshot 213, the Rollo) from a recent find in Clapham…

SNAPSHOT 216: 1929 Pierce-Arrow Model 143

Contemporary colour photographs of pre-war cars are relatively rare, so it was pleasant surprise to find this one.  The caption…

Snapshot 215: Austin 7 ‘Boat’

It was low tide in Vicarage Gardens, W8, when this sad little craft caught the photographer’s eye. But fame, if…

SNAPSHOT 214: 1908 Argus Limousine

So often, captions in early motoring magazines give very little away, and under this picture we had no more clues…

SNAPSHOT 213: ca. 1912 Rollo cyclecar

This snapshot was discovered very recently in a ‘bygones’ shop in Clapham in the beautiful Yorkshire Dales not seven miles…

SNAPSHOT 212: 1951 Lancia Aurelia B20 Coupé

This beautiful picture was taken at the time of the car’s launch in 1951 at the Paris Salon.  Not surprisingly,…

SNAPSHOT 211: An unknown car: BC283

Well, more like AD1905, give or take another year. ‘BC’ was the Leicester CBC registration mark: no records survive there….

SNAPSHOT 210: 1908 Cito 10/18 HP

This German car is so little talked of that we have no idea how to pronounce its name.  The Cito…

SNAPSHOT 209: 1952 Rosengart Ariette cabriolet

Amongst all the exotic and everyday cars at the 1952 Paris Salon appeared this tiny Rosengart: the 4 CV Ariette…

SNAPSHOT 208: 1910 de la Besse Motor Sleigh

This remarkable machine is a conventional motor car that can easily and rapidly be converted into a motor sleigh for…

SNAPSHOT 207: 1905 8hp Eagle runabout

This week’s ‘Snapshot’ features a remarkably low-built voiturette as advertised by its makers, a small northern firm, in February of…

SNAPSHOT 206: 1951 Hanomag Partner

This modest family car may at first glance seem unremarkable – but it is in fact a prototype for a…

SNAPSHOT 205: 1903 Clarkson Steam Bus

Steam power for private cars never achieved great prominence, but in the early years of the twentieth century steam-powered buses…

SNAPSHOT 204: 1951 Jaguar Mk VII

We perhaps forget how stunning the new Jaguar Mark VII must have appeared to the public on its launch in…

SNAPSHOT 203: ca.1934 Morris Ten-Six Special Sports

Our regular contributor Teresa Stokes has this time sent us pictures of a rare Morris that was owned by Guy…

SNAPSHOT 202: 1907 Belsize 24/30

Sometimes the identification of a car has to be based on a mix of knowledge and guesses, and in this…

SNAPSHOT 201: Aston Martin and Lagonda in 1950

Our Snapshot this week displays these two famous marques very close to the beginning of their lives as part of…

SNAPSHOT 200: ca. 1914 Bristol C50 Van

This remarkable cutaway illustration was titled “Aeroplane Repair Van.”  The accompanying caption explains that it was produced from blueprints while…

SNAPSHOT 199: 1901 Sunbeam-Mabley

Even Sunbeam, in its 25th anniversary publication “The History and Development of the Sunbeam Car: 1899-1924” could not avoid the…

Snapshot 198 – 1945 Cushman 30-Series Scooter

This picture comes from the May 1945 issue of National Geographic – and depicts a Cushman 30-Series scooter. The caption…

Snapshot 197 – 1939 Mercedes Benz 3-Litre GP Car

This Snapshot was taken and the story is recounted by motor racing photographer Peter McFadyen.  Please read on… Snapshot 193…

SNAPSHOT 196: 1952 Lanchester Fourteen

This most British of photographs is full of references to a genteel middle-class post-war world – where ladies were immaculately…

SNAPSHOT 195: 1941-1947 Chevrolet AK van

It is 1946 – and the RAF Helicopter School is giving a display.  In this picture, it is showing off…

SNAPSHOT 194: 1903-1905 White Model C

Our thanks are once again due to Teresa Stokes, who has already provided photographs of the cars of her father…

SNAPSHOT 193: 1950 Scammell Scarab

The location of this colourised picture from 1950 looks very much like Piccadilly Gardens in Manchester – which would not…

SNAPSHOT 192: 1913 R-C-H

This composite picture of an R-C-H car with the premises of its main dealer in the background came as a…

SNAPSHOT 191: A group of motoring men – 1903

This snapshot is remarkable for the people gathered in front of the racing car.  The photograph was taken at the…

SNAPSHOT 190: 1952 Triumph Mayflower – in Rio

That most English of cars, the little Triumph Mayflower, seems the unlikeliest candidate for a trip to Brazil.  But here…

SNAPSHOT 189: 1933-34 Austin Seven 65

At first sight this picture is attractive but nothing out of the ordinary.  It depicts an Austin Seven 65, a…

SNAPSHOT 188: 1920 Sizaire-Berwick

This design for a Sizaire-Berwick advertisement may or may not have been published (it appears in a printing annual as…

SNAPSHOT 187: 1955 Buckle Prototype

This remarkably accomplished prototype was developed in 1955 by W F Buckle, the Australian owner of a car distribution firm…

SNAPSHOT 186: 1952 Fiat 642 Mobile Training Centre

This Snapshot was found in a magazine article entitled Il secondo “Salone Internazionale della Tecnica” (The second International Technology Exhibition),…

SNAPSHOT 185: 1950 Jowett Jupiter

In the background of this week’s Snapshot is a Jowett Jupiter – but the car in the foreground is a…

SNAPSHOT 184: 1921 Sunbeam

This advertisement for Sunbeam motor cars comes from the ‘Official Program’ of the Ninth International Sweepstakes of the Indianapolis Motor…

SNAPSHOT 183: 1897 Anglo-French Motor Carriage Company

If this car looks to you like an early Benz Viktoria, then you are absolutely correct.  It may have been…

SNAPSHOT 182: 1935 Triumph Gloria – and more about the cars of the Stokes family

Regular watchers of our Snapshots will have seen our series of photos of the cars of Adrian Stokes: numbers 145,…

SNAPSHOT 181: 1905 Brouhot

Our Snapshot this week is of a French competition car. We have to admit that we had never heard of…

SNAPSHOT 180: 1929 Golden Arrow Land Speed Record Car

The car in this week’s Snapshot is already very famous – but this advertisement from the 1930 Times of India…

SNAPSHOT 179: 1912 Seabrook R.M.C

If you have a unique selling point, you need a unique trick to promote it – as it is with…

SNAPSHOT 178: A 1920s Showroom

We are once again very grateful to Guy Loveridge of the SAHB, who has lent us this amazing picture of…

SNAPSHOT 177: 1949 Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport Coupé

This professional image has a style that matches its subject: a 1949 Talbot-Lago with coachwork by Figoni & Falaschi. It…

SNAPSHOT 176: 1920 A.E.C. Charabanc

This lovely airbrushed illustration is appropriately captioned ‘Reproduced from Snapshot’.  It depicts a 1920 A.E.C. with a charabanc body, sitting…

SNAPSHOT 175: 1907 Neue Automobil-Gesellschaft Water-Cart

The Illustrated London News for 16th March 1907 showed some wonderful images from the Commercial Motor Show at Olympia –…

SNAPSHOT 174: 1929-1932 AJS Fabric Saloon

When a lovely little late vintage (or post-vintage?) fabric saloon turns up at a National Trust property, people stop and…

SNAPSHOT 173: 1925 Salon de l’Automobile, Bruxelles

This image, from the front cover of the special Motor Show issue of the Belgian magazine La Revue Sportive Illustrée,…

SNAPSHOT 172: 1931 Talbot 14/45

This is the third and final press photograph sent to us by James and Guy Loveridge for use in our…

SNAPSHOT 171: 1909 20 h.p. Nordenfelt

The Nordenfelt is a curious make.  Its name is Swedish in origin, Georgano states that it was made in Belgium,…

SNAPSHOT 170: 1971 Gordon-Keeble

When you see a rare and interesting car at a classic or vintage motoring event it is a pleasure –…

SNAPSHOT 169: 1927 Austin 7 Maythorn

They say you can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear but coachbuilder Maythorn of Biggleswade did when…

SNAPSHOT 168: 1925 Sunbeam 20/60

This is the second of the three press photographs sent to us by James and Guy Loveridge for use in…

SNAPSHOT 167: 1920 Unibus Scooter

This remarkable scooter would appear modern and stylish today – but in 1920 it must have caused a sensation. The…

SNAPSHOT 166: 1922 Leach

This is one of those rare instances where the gentleman in the picture is much more famous than the motor…

SNAPSHOT 165: Petrol pumps at Gunnersbury Park Garage

James and Guy Loveridge of the SAHB have very kindly lent us three beautifully crisp press photographs for use in…

SNAPSHOT 164: 1939 Bentley Mk V Corniche

This Snapshot at first appears to be no more than an effective advertisement for Girling brakes.  Its emphasis on progress…

SNAPSHOT 163: 1921 Sentinel 6-ton Steam Waggons

The steam waggon continued to do sterling work long after the internal-combustion engine had usurped steam in the motor car. …

SNAPSHOT 162: BRM Spin

A new Snapshot, recounted by motor racing photographer Dr Peter McFadyen – with a photograph taken by him. Read on… In…

SNAPSHOT 161: 1950-53 Austin A40 Sports

Here is the fourth and final Snapshot in the series showing the cars owned by Adrian Stokes.  If you want…

SNAPSHOT 160: 1952 Simca 8 Sport

This is a very stylish offering from a company more usually (but wrongly) considered simply as makers of solid but…

SNAPSHOT 159: 1923 Morris Cowley Tourer

If there was ever a case of ‘the right man being in the right place at the right time’, it…

SNAPSHOT 158: 1972 Bristol 411 Series 2

The Snapshot here was taken in the mid-1980s – and this looks like a smart example.  It had just received…

SNAPSHOT 157: 1911 Austin

We chose this week’s Snapshot because we think it’s such a beautiful illustration of an Austin, from the days when…

SNAPSHOT 156: Ford Motor Company Trafford Park 1923

The history of car manufacture by Ford Motor Company in Britain is long and distinguished – and it all started…

SNAPSHOT 155: 1909 12 hp Humber – possibly

This delightful photograph was sent to us by Thomas Ulrich of the AHG – our sister society in Germany.  All…

SNAPSHOT 154: 1927-1932 Lea-Francis Hyper

This is the third car owned by Adrian Stokes – after the Raleigh Safety Seven we featured in Snapshot 145…

SNAPSHOT 153: 1939-1951 Bedford OB with Duple body

The Bedford OB coach with Duple body in this week’s Snapshot almost certainly dates from the early post-war period. Bedford…

SNAPSHOT 152: 1900 Motor Manufacturing Co. “Balmoral” Char-à-Banc

The Motor Manufacturing Co. had its origins in the Great Horseless Carriage Company, one of the creations of Harry J…

SNAPSHOT 151: 1957 Chevrolet Corvette SS

Is it a bird?  Is it a plane?  Is it a Scarab?  No, it’s a Corvette. The original 1953 Corvette,…

SNAPSHOT 150: 1938 Poole Park Speed Trials

A beautiful summer’s day in August 1938 at the seaside: Poole Park in Dorset.  So much so that the correspondent…

SNAPSHOT 149: 1934 Singer Le Mans

This is the next car owned by Adrian Stokes – after the Raleigh Safety Seven we featured in Snapshot 145. …

SNAPSHOT 148: 1912 Daimler 20 HP

This beautifully lithe and sporty motor car is typical of those produced just before the Great War.  Perhaps the most…

SNAPSHOT 147: 1939 Hupmobile Skylark

This car was a triumph of desperate optimism over realism – but that didn’t stop the publicists vaunting its qualities…

SNAPSHOT 146: 1924 M.G. 14/28 Super Sports

Cecil Kimber joined Morris Motors in March 1921, and almost immediately was asked to manage The Morris Garages and moved…

SNAPSHOT 145: 1933-1936 Raleigh Safety Seven

We are once again indebted to Neil Thorp for this Snapshot.  It comes from a series of pictures in the…

SNAPSHOT 144: 1898 Georges Richard

This early image was found in the programme for the Concours Hippique (Show Jumping Event) held in Paris from 26…

SNAPSHOT 143: 1939 Buick

This Snapshot nearly didn’t make it – because at first we simply couldn’t identify the car.  The image is a…

SNAPSHOT 142: Circa 1914 Bédélia Cyclecar

This is a professionally printed postcard showing the tunnels at Grande Chartreuse, this being a monastery of the Carthusian order…

SNAPSHOT 141: 1911 Morris – no, really

Yes, we know, William Morris made his first car in 1913.  But this is definitely a Morris.  The difference is…

SNAPSHOT 140: 1921 3-litre, 8-cylinder Ballot – and that mystery lady again

This is the second photograph sent to us by Neil Thorp; the first one is in Snapshot 139.  We managed…

SNAPSHOT 139: 1921 EHP racing team – and a mystery lady…

Once again, we are grateful to Neil Thorp of the SAHB for this Snapshot.  It shows a racing team of…

SNAPSHOT 138: 1905 Duryea

Our picture this week was published in 1905 in a British magazine, expressly to illustrate the remarkable side-entrance arrangement on…

SNAPSHOT 137: 1937 Mercedes-Benz W125

It is gratifying to know that the former owner and racer of this Mercedes-Benz ‘Silver Arrow’ racing car is still…

SNAPSHOT 136: 1909 Delahaye Fire Engine

Identifying an early commercial vehicle with no radiator badge can be fraught with difficulty – but this photo from 1909…

SNAPSHOT 135: 1921 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost

In October it was 100 years since the Bolshevik 1917 revolution in Russia that toppled the Menshevik revolutionaries who in…

SNAPSHOT 134: 1938 American Bantam Roadster

This snapshot has only just come to light this year, kindly sent in by Neil Thorp of the SAHB.  It…

SNAPSHOT 133: 1961 Aston Martin DB4GT Zagato

There are two big advantages when searching for information about a car such as this: there were only 20 made,…

SNAPSHOT 132: Talbot 105

It was in the summer of 1954 that your contributor snapped this Talbot. The location was Blackpool’s ‘prom’, and I…

SNAPSHOT 131: 1934 Pierce Arrow Sedan

In Snapshot 130 we saw the very early use of colour (or hand-coloured) photographs to promote motor cars.  But the…

SNAPSHOT 130: 1906 Chenard & Walcker

It is always surprising how thoroughly modern a photograph looks in colour.  This image from 1906 could almost be a…

SNAPSHOT 129: 1966 P83 BRM – Oulton Park Gold Cup

It was 51 years ago – Saturday 17th September 1966 to be precise. Grand Prix Formula 1 cars could still…

SNAPSHOT 128: 1920 Secqueville-Hoyau

Perhaps there are plenty of photos and advertisements in French magazines for this delightfully-named car from the early 1920s –…

SNAPSHOT 127: 1906 20-24HP Horbick

The rarity of this 20-24HP Horbick is perhaps not surprising.  The cars were made by Horsfall & Bickham Ltd in…

SNAPSHOT 126: 1925 James ‘Model 12’ 500cc V-Twin

We discovered this advertisement for a James motorcycle, not in a magazine but in the portfolio of a professional illustrator…

SNAPSHOT 125: A vintage Mathis

This lovely photo of a Mathis is clearly worthy of an SAHB Snapshot, but we are ashamed to admit that…

SNAPSHOT 124: Buckler 90

 Derek Buckler (1910 – 1964) took after his father who was a highly inventive entrepreneur and, after competing in motorcycle…

SNAPSHOT 123: 1927 D’Yrsan

We have no idea when this picture was taken, but it seems to be during the period, perhaps after the…

SNAPSHOT 122: Lanchester at Victoria

The unconventional appearance of Edwardian Lanchester cars must have counted against them to some extent in period, as even more…

SNAPSHOT 121: Bentley R-Type Graber Drophead Coupé

This snapshot of a Bentley, taken at Oulton Park at a Richard Seaman Trophies Meeting in 1971, was initially rather…

SNAPSHOT 120: 1917 White Sixteen Valve 4

The 1917 White “Sixteen Valve 4”, known as the Model GM by the maker, was the last car model made…

SNAPSHOT 119: Marconi Wireless Telegraphy

  The 80th anniversary of the death of Guglielmo Marconi will be on 20th July next week, so we wanted…

SNAPSHOT 118: A circa 1919 Garford Motor Truck

One could be forgiven for believing that this photograph represents an advertisement for house removals, but in fact the image…

SNAPSHOT 117: Armstrong Siddeley Hurricane

This snapshot was taken, almost certainly in London, around the late 1960s or early 1970s.  The Ford Capri Mk 1…

SNAPSHOT 116: 1919 15·9hp Arrol-Johnston

  Were one to try to find a photograph of a typical car from the start of the first post-Great…

SNAPSHOT 115: 1929 AEC Reliance Bus

  Motor buses (as opposed to trolleybuses) operated by Stockport Corporation came into service in 1919 (these being two AEC…

SNAPSHOT 114: Back on the estate

The 1936 Ford V-8 ‘Brakenvan’, seen here on 14 January 1937 at motor dealer Kevill-Davies & March Ltd. in London, is…

SNAPSHOT 113: 1933 McLaughlin Buick

We are taking a big risk with our identification of the car in this Snapshot from just before the Second…

SNAPSHOT 112: 1908 Belsize

One of our principal Snapshot contributors, John Warburton of Manchester, had no difficulty identifying this 1908 car as a Belsize…

SNAPSHOT 111: 1909 10hp Alldays & Onions

  This photograph truly merits description as a ‘Snapshot’. The interloper distantly getting in on the act these days would…

SNAPSHOT 110: 1899 Decauville Voiturelle

Reaction to this coloured photograph from 1899 will very much depend upon one’s point of view – from “what fascinating…

SNAPSHOT 109: The Canon’s 1934 Sunbeam Speed Twenty

Canon Norburn was Vicar of Bolton in the 1950s, when his son was a school class-mate of your contributor. This…

SNAPSHOT 108: 1939 (or later) Bedford removal lorry

Even Snapshots are expensive to buy – possibly.  This one was found in a vintage shop in Yorkshire, and was…

SNAPSHOT 107: 1920 Rauch & Lang model C-45

  A true ‘snapshot’ here: taken on what must have been an early spring day, the lady is fashionably yet…

SNAPSHOT 106: 1929 LaSalle

  This elegant illustration of a 1929 LaSalle Convertible Coupe is curious for several reasons.  Firstly, this American automobile appears…

SNAPSHOT 105: 1955 Scientific GT

Post-WWII restrictions on materials – and steel, in particular – hampered home market sales for car manufacturers large – and,…

SNAPSHOT 104: June 1948 – The Petrol Ration returns

Our Snapshot this week illustrates a highly popular milestone: on 1st June 1948, motorists could buy petrol again for the…

SNAPSHOT 103: A c1898 De Dion Bouton Motorised Tricycle

The photographer, or the gentleman in this photograph, has written his name and the date, 1899, in the lower right-hand…

SNAPSHOT 102: SARA

At first glance, this unusual old sports car has the appearance of a one-off special. Its lines and especially radiator…

SNAPSHOT 101: Dorothy Patten’s Peugeot

This snapshot of Dorothy Patten in a Peugeot 402 Darl’mat ‘Spécial Sport’ on Brighton’s Madeira Drive is a rare one. …

SNAPSHOT 100: 1911 FIAT S76 ‘Beast of Turin’

Offered as a supplement to The Motor magazine with the issue dated 7th November 1911, this is a colour print…

SNAPSHOT 99: Yorkshire Patent Steam Wagon

For our Snapshots, sometimes it pays to find old publications that have nothing to do with motoring history.  Literally an…

SNAPSHOT 98: Circa 1924 Morris Oxford

One hundred years ago, motoring for the masses was still a dream for most people. Certainly, cars were more numerous…

SNAPSHOT 97: Hirondelle Minima portable bicycle

The car in this week’s Snapshot is a 1914 Darracq 12-44 Torpedo; so far, so normal.  But our subject is…

SNAPSHOT 96: 1920 15·7hp Glover

It’s the year 1920, and here’s a brilliant motor industry business opportunity. In the UK, post-war inflation and great demand…

SNAPSHOT 95: 1927 Georges Irat Model A

The Georges Irat car is commonly recalled as a sporty open two-seater version of the Citroen Light 15 that was…

SNAPSHOT 94: 1905 Hurtu

To modern eyes this French-made Hurtu with 8 h.p. De Dion engine is just cute but we take for granted its modern features ahead…

SNAPSHOT 93: 4½-litre Bentley

This photograph, taken at Oulton Park Richard Seaman Trophies meeting in 1971, is clearly of a Bentley – and, from…

SNAPSHOT 92: 1907 Argyll 16/20hp Four-seat Tourer

Quite late for the genre, this image comes from a 1907 photographic postcard titled, ‘How Many Tunes Does It Play…

SNAPSHOT 91: Newton racing car

Many are the unrecorded father-and-son interviews that would have made for compelling eavesdropping. One such would have been that between…

SNAPSHOT 90: Clift with Thorn coachwork

The purchase of an 1880s carriage brochure for W. & F. Thorn, coachbuilders of Norwich and London (founded in 1824),…

SNAPSHOT 89: Sheffield-Simplex

This Sheffield-Simplex looks to be more 1920 than 1907, but on the back of this postcard, the handwritten text explains…

SNAPSHOT 88: 1920 Daimler

What a difference a caption can make. When this Daimler 45 h.p. registered XB6220 appeared in Brian Smith’s monumental Daimler…

SNAPSHOT 87: Kriéger Electric Landaulet

We were initially attracted to this Snapshot simply because of the sheer beauty and quality of the image, which comes…

SNAPSHOT 86: 1910 Great Chadwick Six

A single glance at this week’s ‘Snapshot’ is sufficient for the early car enthusiast to say, “American raceabout of the…

SNAPSHOT 85: 1900 M.M.C.

Although the pneumatic tyre had been re-invented by John Dunlop, and the benefits of inflated tyring had been demonstrated over…

SNAPSHOT 84: Stellar performances at the Weybridge Track

  Yes – the setting is Brooklands in the 1920s. Yes, that is Malcolm Campbell in characteristic pose. For an…

SNAPSHOT 83: Ottoporte!

If we know the name of one of these Maserati saloons, then surely the red car in the foreground and…

SNAPSHOT 82: Crossley 19.6 h.p.

This lovely watercolour by P. B. Hickling of a Crossley 19.6 h.p. on tour, in Scotland probably, appeared in a…

SNAPSHOT 81: A.V. Monocar

This photograph begs the question, one seat or two? The driver’s seat can be glimpsed and so presumably someone could…

SNAPSHOT 80: When English was Chic

  Despite recent decisions to distance ourselves a little more from our cousins on the other side of the English…

SNAPSHOT 79: 1925 La Perle sports car

  ‘La Perle’ does indeed translate as ‘the pearl’, so is a not-unsuitable name for a make of car, and…

SNAPSHOT 78: The Ultimate Steam Car?

At the dawn of motoring, steam cars were quieter and faster than their smelly and noisy petrol-powered competitors.  But gradually…

SNAPSHOT 77: An overhead cam ‘straight eight’…

Slowly being restored in Norfolk is a sophisticated sports car to intrigue the true enthusiast. Our congratulations to the SAHB…

SNAPSHOT 76: A Winter’s Tale

We know that wartime privations often led owners of motor cars to resort to other sources of fuel when petrol…

SNAPSHOT 75: 1950 Healey ‘Silverstone’

Can it be one of those unwelcome signs of old age when the car parks at motor race meetings seem…

SNAPSHOT 74: 1903 6hp Chainless

Four previous ‘Snapshot’ images have featured early examples of printed colour photographs. An internet search reveals that the chromo-lithographic process…

SNAPSHOT 73: Team Photo 1906

This period photograph is hardly a ‘snapshot’ at all: it could scarcely have been more carefully posed. In particular, the…

SNAPSHOT 72: Rather a large beetle

The Stout Scarab was produced during 1932-39 in very limited numbers, nine in fact. Its history is well recorded. William…

SNAPSHOT 71: Holiday Postcard

This week’s ‘snapshot’ has a holiday theme. For us, the fact that it must date from immediately prior to the…

SNAPSHOT 70: A one-passenger ‘car’

The small 3-wheeler ‘car’ seen here in 1936 is an Italian Passarin. The mechanism was mounted on a central frame similar to…

SNAPSHOT 69: Opel Olympia 1937

At first glance, this Opel Olympia may appear very little out of the ordinary. True, the blackout cover over the…

SNAPSHOT 68: ‘On the right tracks’

How does what appears to be a fairground attraction qualify for the attention of followers of the SAHB’s Snapshots? On…

SNAPSHOT 67: ‘Out for a Run’

Almost a definition of a ‘snapshot’ is this battered survivor! These days, motorists rarely take a drive out into the…

SNAPSHOT 66: A clear view

When the polymer that later became known as Perspex was developed in 1931, by the British scientist Rowland Hill, it wasn’t…

SNAPSHOT 65: Lagonda 11.1hp

Usually associated with fast sporting cars in the 1920s and 1930s, Lagonda, like so many manufacturers, had their roots in…

SNAPSHOT 64: Crown Magnetic 1923

This image is truly a snapshot: taken from a small print in a family photo album. But the car in…

SNAPSHOT 63: Gardner-Serpollet 1900

For its June 1898 edition the large format French magazine Les Sports Modernes that was printed on superior quality ‘art’…

SNAPSHOT 62: Tatra ‘T87’ 1949

In the case of cars that sold in respectable numbers, there have always been examples that looked somewhat different from…

SNAPSHOT 61: Milnes-Daimler 1903

Unlike the well-known 1,000-Miles Trial of 1900 that was organised by the Automobile Club of Great Britain & Ireland which…

SNAPSHOT 60: Morgan 1936

Whilst readily identifiable as a Morgan three-wheeler, the engine offers something of a surprise as it is not one of…

SNAPSHOT 59: Maserati 250F at Monaco 1956

On the 13th of May, 60 years ago, a young Englishman aged 26, driving a Maserati 250F, won the Monaco…

SNAPSHOT 58: Bentley 1922

What makes this 3-litre of more than passing interest is its early date, coming as it does from the first…

SNAPSHOT 57: Arrol-Johnston 1903

The driver of this 12hp Arrol-Johnston is the Duke of Portland who played a notable rôle in the early days…

SNAPSHOT 56: Ford Thunderbird 1955

For the first fifty or so years of the company’s existence, the words ‘Ford’ and ‘Sports car’ would not normally…

SNAPSHOT 55: Crossley 1906

Crossley Brothers of Manchester had been making stationary engines using Otto patents under license for over 30 years when they…

SNAPSHOT 54: Renault 1903

As the 19th century progressed, and on into the Twentieth, there was something of a collective view among well-to-do people…

SNAPSHOT 53: Maserati 1947

When preparing this photograph for use here it was noticed that there appeared to be something slightly odd about it….

SNAPSHOT 52: Citroën Dyanes in 1974

In 1970 a summer holiday was taken in Austria, and to get there once the Channel and Belgium had been…

SNAPSHOT 51: Wolseley Hornet 1931

In its reporting of the 1930 Olympia Show, The Motor commented on the Wolseley Hornet four-seater Saloon: ‘it has won…

SNAPSHOT 50: Lawson 1900

The vehicle shown here was known as the Lawson ‘Motor Wheel’, taking its name from the form of its mechanical…

SNAPSHOT 49: Peugeot racing cars 1920

On obtaining a photograph such as this, which clearly shows a team of Peugeot racing cars, the obvious place to…

SNAPSHOT 48: Brooke 1903

Some years ago this picture postcard was used in a quiz where the car’s make had to be identified. Answers…

SNAPSHOT 47: Jensen FF 1966

For reasons that are not at all obvious, overview histories on the technical development of motorcars pay little or no…

SNAPSHOT 46: Vivinus 1900

The postcard on which this image appears has no message written on the back, only a name and address of…

SNAPSHOT 45: Hispano-Suiza 1928

Pictures of motor vehicles where people are present offer a distinct advantage over those where there are none, because persons…

SNAPSHOT 44: Stoewer 1912

From the very earliest days of motoring, manufacturers and their agents indulged in activities that brought their vehicles to public…

SNAPSHOT 43: Metropolitan 1957

In the 1950s when this motorcar was a current model, its overall appearance rather suggested that it had originated in…

SNAPSHOT 42: Stephens 1900

Whilst fairly obviously it is an early motor vehicle that is pictured here, the make is probably not one that…

SNAPSHOT 41: 1911 Leyland, plus …

Those people who are interested in older mechanically powered road vehicles whilst generally having a broad appreciation of the overall…

SNAPSHOT 40: A Motor Meet in 1903

It is fairly common practice these days for people together with their older motorcars to meet up on New Year’s…

SNAPSHOT 39: Season’s Greetings

In Britain there is a tradition that associates snow with this time of the year, so who are we to…

SNAPSHOT 38: Skootamota 1919

As we are approaching the time of year when parties are popular with some, it seemed appropriate to have a…

SNAPSHOT 37: Hotchkiss in 1958

This really is a ‘snapshot’, grabbed in a moment with a Kodak Box Brownie camera by a lad of 14…

SNAPSHOT 36: NSU Ro80 –1968

At first glance, even second, it is somewhat difficult to believe from the appearance of this motor car that its…

SNAPSHOT 35: Argyll 1906

This 10-12 hp 2-cylinder Argyll was registered early in February 1906 and one cannot help but thinking from the dress…

SNAPSHOT 34: Cadillac 1933

Given the car’s make and date it is not really any surprise that it is a substantial vehicle even though…

SNAPSHOT 33: Deemster 1921

The 200-Mile Race organised by the Junior Car Club that took place at Brooklands in October 1921 was the first…

SNAPSHOT 32: White 1905

We see this car probably in King Street, off Regent Street, where the steam car side of the White Sewing…

SNAPSHOT 31: Healey 1946

Mention the name Austin-Healey and most people interested in motoring of the past will form a mental image of attractive…

SNAPSHOT 30: Gladiator 1903

By this date motorcars regularly appeared on picture postcards and to encourage purchase of them they almost always had people…

SNAPSHOT 29: Datsun 1934

  One ventures to suggest that if it was not for the fact that the make of this vehicle is…

SNAPSHOT 28: Talbot 1905

The potential for punning badinage to accompany an image such as this is extensive. A comment from a salesman to…

SNAPSHOT 27: COOPER 1958

If these days a visit was made to the elaborate premises where racing cars are designed and constructed they would…

SNAPSHOT 26: Star 1902

The Georgano Encyclopædia gives six different makes of motorcars that bore the name Star but the one that concerns us…

SNAPSHOT 25: Mercedes-Benz

It is assumed that most viewers with an interest in motoring history will recognise this image as that of a…

SNAPSHOT 24: 1909 Wallis & Steevens

  From the look on the face of the gentleman propping himself up in front of this steam roller it…

SNAPSHOT 23: Panhard-Levassor 1934

This photograph was bought not because of any particular desire to have a picture of a 1930s Panhard-Levassor but simply…

SNAPSHOT 22: Daimler 1922

The Warwickshire countryside and the picturesque villages therein were very popular locations with the Coventry car-makers when they wanted to…

SNAPSHOT 21: 1956 Renault Étoile Filante

  Whilst the make of this car should not present a recognition problem since it is written large upon it,…

SNAPSHOT 20:  BSA 1922

The original reason for selecting this photograph for the delectation and delight of viewers was because in a way it…

SNAPSHOT 19: 1914 Armoured Car

Although pictures of this armoured car appeared in The Autocar in November 1914 there is a lack of people in…

SNAPSHOT 18: Norton Combination 1949

When given this slightly fuzzy photo around 55 years ago the assumption was made that it had been taken at…

SNAPSHOT 17: Vauxhall 1924

The absence of a number plate on this car suggests that it is a Vauxhall publicity photograph but it is…

SNAPSHOT 16: Inshaw Steam Carriage 1882

According to reports in both The Engineer and The Autocar in November 1895, which only show this steam-powered machine from…

SNAPSHOT 15: Mitchell 1910

Although Mitchell automobiles hailed from Racine, Wisconsin, USA, this shot was taken far from their homeland – in ‘Olde England’,…

SNAPSHOT 14: ‘Siddeley–Meyan Match’ 1905

In July 1905 there took place a 15-day touring car trial between the two cars seen here. This private venture…

SNAPSHOT 13: Reliant 1956

Three-wheelers may not be everyone’s cup of tea, particularly when they have the single wheel at the front, but they…

SNAPSHOT 12: Pipe 1912

At first glance it might seem that this Belgian Pipe engine is of V-pattern, but in terms of its basic…

SNAPSHOT 11: 1952 Bentley

A somewhat exotic looking vehicle, particularly for the period in which it was produced when Britain was still enduring the…

SNAPSHOT 10: Webb’s Garage 1913/14

It is not only the material that glass-plate negatives are made of that means they have an inevitable fragility, but…

SNAPSHOT 9: 1925 Austin Tractor

To misquote Mr Spock in the ‘Star Trek’ television series: “It’s an Austin Jim, but not as we know it”….

SNAPSHOT 8: 1914 Napier

In its 1914 catalogue Napier drew attention to the fact that if one was going to use a car in…

SNAPSHOT 7: 1900 Audibert et Lavirotte

While there are a number of imponderables regarding this charming photograph, such as precisely where it was taken other than…

SNAPSHOT 6: 1925 Bean

An attractive enough mid-twenties two-seater and dickey, looks robust, decent ground clearance, four-wheel brakes, and the lady driver looks pleased…

SNAPSHOT 5: 1900 Daimler

Of the 65 cars and their occupants that had set off from London for the 1,000-Miles Trial on Monday the…

SNAPSHOT 4: 1949 Jaguar

Trying to come up with an expression to describe this car there was a single word that kept coming to…

SNAPSHOT 3: 1903 ‘Millionmobile’

In the closing years of the 19th century when motoring began it was the four-wheeled automobiles or motorcars and their…

SNAPSHOT 2: 1927 ‘Bluebird’

One of the problems with showing photographs of competition vehicles is that most images of them have been seen time…

SNAPSHOT 1: 1907 Humber 15hp

Colour images of mechanically propelled vehicles were exceedingly rare before 1900 and they did not become abundant until many years…